Etgar Keret

The short stories of Israeli author Etgar Keret are delicious little cartoonish seizures that take over your whole brain for 10 minutes at a time and then leave you feeling blissfully exhausted. They always start and end in unexpected places. His new collection, Suddenly, a Knock on the Door, is a good-hearted parade of problematic children, talking fish, occasional violence, some love, and quantum physics. Its also packed with great, intriguing sentences like this one, which kicks off the story One Step Beyond: Killers for hire, theyre like wildflowers. Tell me more, Mr. Keret. (Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, www.townhallseattle.org, 7:30 pm, $15)